6 Sassy Late-Summer Dates To Go On Now

Not so fast. Summer is not over. Not yet. However, if you think of Summer in terms of a June-July-August trio, we are fast approaching the end of the ball. To that end, I know there are some things that you want to do, some things you planned to do, but have not done, because you kept saying to yourself: Hey, Summer just got here! I’ve got plenty to time.

Indeed, in an eyeblink you will be saying: What the heck happened to Summer? Where did the Summer go? What happened? Resist the sleepwalk through the remains of the season, and go out there and grab some summer pleasure, and stat.

Here are some sassy seasonal dates you may not have thought of. The nice thing about them is they don’t necessarily require a girlfriend or boyfriend or spouse by your side. You can engage in any of these six outings solo or with a friend or acquaintance or person who is, as of yet, completely undefinable:

An afternoon or evening of skating. The ice or roller type. Fall down laughing and dine at the luxurious snack bar. A Slushie and a hot dog. Nachos, milady?

A university or college arts event. If there’s even so much as a community college in your area, discover their areas of strengths and tune in to their calendar of events. The final summer concerts, outdoor film series, plays or events will all be happening during the next couple of weeks–and sometimes they are the highlight of the season.

A shaker of martinis and it’s cocktail hour aux deux. Sit on the porch, walk to a nearby park or watch the stars from up on the roof.

A night at the museum. There are few cities, towns or hamlets that don’t have at least one museum. Typically there is one night that the museum stays open later than usual. Find that night. Park your car a handful of blocks away and stroll to the museum. Find a cafe or wine bar to go to afterwards, and have a bit of whatever floats your boat. The weirder or more obscure the museum, the better.

An exotic dining outing. Go to your town’s Ethiopian Row or Thai Town or Chinatown or Little Tokyo or Little Italy and dig in. In college my buddies and I would regularly go our favorite Indian restaurant in West Philadelphia where we would eat delightful samosas and chicken tikka masala and engage in marathon debates.

A picnic on a hill somewhere. Last week I was at a place that looked like the picture above. Actually it was the place exactly. An absolutely civilized and wholesome looking young man drove up in his car. He got out and opened the door for his lady friend, a demure doll in a white sundress who was the spitting image of a young Natalie Wood. She had a picnic basket in her hand. He got his guitar out of the back seat, and they set up on a grassy patch under a tree and overlooking the ocean, all smiles. It was as if someone was shooting a video for young men on how to plan a creative date and how to behave while on one.